...............

Securing Your ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a ten-digit numeral which unmistakably identifies the title, edition, binding and publisher of a given work. It is a handy sales tool, as it provides the basis for identifying books in many bookstore chains and most wholesalers and distributors. The ISBN system is run by the R.R. Bowker Company not by a government agency and they are usually very efficient. All you have to do is apply on-line or request the necessary forms. For 10 sets of numbers the current charge is $269.00 (more for rush orders): Standard Book Numbering Agency R.R. Bowker Company 121 Chanlon Rd. New Providence, NJ 07974

Toni Scarsi Project Coordinator

Jen Riley Executive Assistant

908-665-6770 FAX 908-665-2895 You will receive a letter of explanation and a Title Output Information Request Form. Complete the form for a basic list of 10 ISBN’s. If you wish, Falcon Books will apply for ISBN's in your name. There is a service charge for this service. You will then receive a computer printout containing numbers that serve as your registry log. Assign a number to each title you publish, put the number on the title page and outside back cover of your book when it is printed. (See Bar Code below) Contact R.R. Bowker Company

Important: After your application for ISBN's has been sent to Bowker, they will send you by mail a packet which will contain your ISBN log book, various promotional materials, and an Advance Book Information (ABI) form. The ABI form must be completed by the publisher for each title, so that it can be listed in "Books in Print"--the Directory which distributors, wholesalers, and book stores use to order copies of the book. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Program (CIP) and Catalog Card Number A Library of Congress catalog card number is a unique identification number that the Library of Congress assigns to the catalog record created for each book in its cataloged collections. Librarians use it to locate a specific Library of Congress catalog record in the national databases and to order catalog cards from the Library of Congress or from commercial suppliers. The Library of Congress assigns this number while the book is being cataloged. Under certain circumstances, however, a card number can be assigned before the book is published through the Preassigned Card Number Program (PCN). Without this data your book could sit in a library for several months before personnel know how to log it or where to put it. By participating in CIP, you will be provided pertinent information that can be printed right on the copyright page of your book. If however, your material is in booklet form under fifty pages, light fiction or poetry, the CIP program is not for you: librarians don’t need CIP data for these. If the CIP Program is appropriate for your material, you start the procedure rolling by writing to: Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Division COLL/CIP (4320) Washington, DC 20450-4320 Contact their site: http://cip.loc.gov/pcn/ As a publisher you will be expected to submit a special Library of Congress Cataloging Data Sheet together with information on each book several months prior to its publication. They prefer to receive the whole manuscript, but usually a copy of the table of contents and introduction, plus any promotional material, gives them what they need to draw from. Your Library of Congress catalog card number will be assigned. It should appear on the copyright page of your book and in reviews. This number allows subscribers to the Library of Congress catalog service to order cards by number and eliminate a search fee. Approximately twenty thousand libraries belong. If you plan to sell to libraries, you must have an LOC number. Copyright We suggest that you register a copyright for your book. This may be done while the book is still in manuscript form or after the book is in print. To register a manuscript, send form, fee and ONE copy of the unpublished manuscript to the Library of Congress. To register a published book, send form, fee and TWO copies of the printed and bound book to the LOC. For a small fee, Falcon Books will take care of copyright registry for your manuscript or printed book or you may choose to do this yourself. IMPORTANT: Application for registration of copyright can be started at any time, even while the book is being printed. It is important, however, to have the requisite copyright notice and publishing information on the title page and in the correct form. Copyright Office Library of Congress Washington, DC 20559 Request Copyright Form TX. Fill out the form and send two copies of the book to the Copyright Office along with a fee. It will take up to 90 days for them to issue a certificate of copyright. Contact the U.S. Copyright Office for more information. Bar Code for ISBN Once you have received your set of ISBN’s from Bowker and have assigned a number to your book, put the ISBN on the copyright page and back cover. To make the number most useful to bookstores, the ISBN should also be represented in bar code format on the back cover. Falcon Books can provide a tested bar code for your book.

To Top of Page

About Falcon Books & Useful Information

More Useful Information

Quick Link

Home | Services | Information | FB Titles (1) | Featured Authors | Editorial
Marketing | Shipping/Receiving | Pay for Services/Products
e-mail us | Request for Quotation | Clients' Comments

Call us at 888 / 922-0789 • Fax 800 / 856-0892 Toll Free from U.S.A.

We have provided this information as a service to our customers. Falcon Books is not to be held liable for any errors in this information.
Updated 3/8/2005